'Absolutely vital that we deal with the situation as a full emergency,' police statement says

A man is escorted off a Qatar Airways aircraft by police at Manchester airport in northern England on Monday. A British fighter jet escorted the passenger plane into Manchester airport after the pilot reported that a suspect device was possibly on board, police said. (Andrew Yates/Reuters)

British armed police took the passenger off the plane shortly after it landed.

Police searched the plane, Flight QR23, and found nothing.

A man posted this photo to Twitter, which appears to show a fighter jet accompanying Flight QR23. (Josh Hartley/Twitter)

"An incoming plane has been escorted into the airport by the Royal Air Force as a result of information received by the pilot about a possible device on board," Chief Supt. John O'Hare said in a statement.

"We don't know how genuine this threat is but it is absolutely vital we deal with the situation as a full emergency," he added.

The plane was a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Manchester, carrying 269 passengers and 13 crew members, according to a statement from the airline.

The crew received a threat about a possible device on the plane, and Qatar Airways alerted U.K. authorities.

"The crew is now fully assisting police at the airport with their inquiries," read the airline's statement. "The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority."

The runway was briefly closed. The Ministry of Defense said the Royal Air fighthter jets were launched to investigate "a civilian aircraft whose pilot had requested assistance."

"The aircraft was escorted to Manchester where it landed safely," the ministry said in a statement. "This incident is now being handled by the civilian authorities."